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3 



INDIAN CAPTIVITIES. 



,fo>( OF CO/v ( , 



1R76 

NARRATIVE 



OF THE CAPTIVITY OF JOHN ORTIZ, A SPANIAR^WJi^^S 
ELEVEN YEARS A PRISONER AMONG THE INDIANS OF 
FLORIDA. 

In the year 1528 Pamphilo de Narvaez, with a commission, 
constituting him governor of Florida, or " all the lands lying 
from the river of Palms to the cape of Florida," sailed for that 
country with 400 foot and 20 horse, in five ships. With this 
expedition went a Spaniard, named John Ortiz, a native of 
Seville, whose connections were among the nobility of Castile. 
Although we have no account of what part Ortiz acted in 
Narvaez's expedition, or how he escaped its disastrous issue, 
yet it may not be deemed out of place to notice briefly here 
that issue. 

This Narvaez had acquired some notoriety by the manner in 
which he had executed a commission against Cortez, He had 
been ordered by the governor of Cuba to seize the destroyer 
of Mexico, but was himself overthrown and deserted by his 
men. On falling into the hands of Cortez, his arrogance did 
not forsake him, and he addressed him thus : " Esteem it good 
fortune that you have taken me prisoner." " Nay," replied 
Cortez, " it is the least of the things I have done in Mexico." 
To return to the expedition of which we have promised to 
speak. 

Narvaez landed in Florida not very far from, or perhaps at 
the bay of Apalachee, in the month of April, and marched 
into the country with his men. They knew no other direction 
but that pointed out by the Indians, whom they compelled to 
act as guides. Their first disappointment was on their arrival 



10 CAPTIVITY OF JOHN ORTIZ. 



at the village of Apalachee, where, instead of a splendid town, 
filled with immense treasure, as they had anticipated, they 
found only about 40 Indian wigwams. When they visited 
one Indian town its inhabitants would get rid of them by tell- 
ing them of another, where their wants would be gratified. 
Such was the manner in which Narvaez and his companions 
rambled over 800 miles of country, in about six months' time , at 
a vast expense of men and necessaries which they carried with 
them ; for the Indians annoyed them at every pass, not only 
cutting off many of the men, but seizing on their baggage up- 
on every occasion which offered. Being now arrived upon the 
coast, in a wretched condition, they constructed some miserable 
barks corresponding with their means, in which none but men 
in such extremities would embark. In these they coasted toward 
New Spain. When they came near the mouths of the Mis- 
sissippi they were cast away in a storm, and all but 15 of their 
number perished. Out of these 15, 4 only lived to reach 
Mexico, and these after 8 years wholly spent in wanderings 
from place to place, enduring incredible hardships and mise- 
ries. 

The next year after the end of Narvaez's expedition, the 
intelligence of his disaster having reached his wife, whom he 
left in Cuba, she fitted out a small company, consisting of 20 
or 30 men, who sailed in a brigantine to search after him, 
hoping some fortuitous circumstance might have prolonged his 
existence upon the coast, and that he might be found, Of this 
number was John Ortiz, the subject of this narrative. 

On their arrival there, they sought an opportunity to have 
an interview with the first Indians they should meet. Oppor- 
tunity immediately offered, and as soon as Indians were dis- 
covered, the Spaniards advanced towards them in their boats, 
while the Indians came down to the shore. These wily peo- 
ple practised a stratagem upon this occasion, which to this day 
seems a mysterious one, and we have no means of explain- 
ing it. 

Three or four Indians came near the shore, and setting a 
stick in the ground, placed in a cleft in its top a letter, and 
withdrawing a little distance, made signs to the Spaniards to 
come and take it. All the company, except John Ortiz and one 
more, refused to go out for the letter, rightly judging it to be 
used only to ensnare them ; but Ortiz, presuming it was from 
Narvaez, and containing some account of himself, would not 
be persuaded from venturing on shore to bring it, although all 
the rest but the one who accompanied him strenuously argued 
against it. 

Now there was an Indian village very near this place, and 



CAPTIVITY OF JOHN ORTIZ. 



13 



no sooner had Ortiz and his companion advanced to the place 
where the letter was displayed, than a multitude came running 
from it, and surrounding them, seized eagerly upon them. 
The number of the Indians was so great, that the Spaniards 
in the vessels did not dare to attempt to rescue them, and saw 
them carried forcibly away. In this first onset the man who 
accompanied Ortiz w T as killed, he having made resistance when 
he was seized. 

Not far from the place where they were made prisoners, was 
another Indian town, or village, consisting of about 8 or 10 
houses or wigwams. These houses were made of wood, and 
covered with palm-leaves. At one end of this village there 
was a building, which the captive called a temple, but of what 
dimensions it was he makes no mention. Over the door of 
entrance into this temple there was placed the figure of a bird, 
carved out in wood, and it was especially surprising that this 
bird had gilded eyes. No attempt is made by Ortiz even to 
conjecture how or by whom the art of gilding w T as practised, 
in this wild and distant region, nor does he mention meeting 
with any other specimen of that art during his captivity. At 
the opposite extremity of this village stood the house of the 
chief, or cazique, as he was often called, upon an eminence, 
raised, as it was supposed, for a fortification. These things re- 
mained the same ten years afterwards, and are mentioned by 
the historian of Fernando De Soto's Invasion of Florida. The 
name of the chief of this village was Ucita, before whom was 
presented the captive, Ortiz, who was condemned to suffer im- 
mediate death. 

The manner of his death was by torture, which was to be 
effected in this wise. The executioners set four stakes in the 
ground, and to these they fastened four poles ; the captive was 
then taken, and with his arms and legs extended, was by them 
bound to these poles, at such a distance from the ground, that 
a fire, made directly under him, would be a long time in con- 
suming him. Never did a poor victim look with greater cer- 
tainty to death for relief, than did John Ortiz at this time. 
The fire had already begun to rage, when a most remarkable 
circumstance happened to save his life — a daughter of the 
stern Ucita arose and plead for him. Among other things she 
said these to her father : " My kind father, why kill this poor 
stranger? he can do you nor any of us any injury, seeing he 
is but one and alone. It is better that you should keep him 
confined ; for even in that condition he may sometime be of 
great service to you." The chief was silent for a short time, 
but finally ordered him to be released from his place of torture. 
They had no sooner taken the thongs from his wrists and 
2 



14 



CAPTIVITY OF JOHN ORTIZ. 



ankles, than they proceeded to wash and dress his wounds, and 
to do things to make him comfortable. 

As soon as his wounds were healed, Ortiz was stationed at 
the entrance of the temple, before mentioned, to guard it 
against such as were not allowed to enter there ; but espe- 
cially to guard its being profaned by wild beasts ; for as it was 
a place of sacrifices, wolves were its constant visitors. He had 
not long been in this office, when an event occurred, which 
threw him into great consternation. Human victims were 
brought in as sacrifices and deposited here ; and not long after 
Ortiz had been placed as sentinel, the body of a young Indian 
was brought and laid upon a kind of sarcophagus, which, 
from the multitudes that had from time to time been offered 
there, was surrounded with blood and bones ! a most rueful 
sight, as ever any eye beheld ! — here an arm fresh torn from 
its place, reeking with blood, another exhibiting but bone and 
sinews from the mangling jaws of wild beasts ! Such was 
the place he was ordered to guard, through day and night — 
doomed to sit himself down among this horrible assemblage 
of the dead. When left alone he reflected that his escape 
from fire was not so fortunate for him as he had hoped ; for 
now, his naturally superstitious mind was haunted by the pres- 
ence of innumerable ghosts, who stalked in every place, and 
which he had from his youth been taughvto believe were capa- 
ble of doing him all manner of injuries, even to the depriving 
of life. 

There was no reflection in those remote ages of the real 
situation of all the living* in respect to the great valley of death 
in which all beings are born and nursed, and which no length 
of years is sufficient to carry them through. Let us for a mo- 
ment cast our eyes around us. Where are we ? Not in the 
same temple with Ortiz, but in one equally vast. We can see 
nothing but death in every place. The very ground we walk 
upon is composed of the decayed limbs of our own species, with 
those of a hundred others. A succession of animals have been 
rising and falling for many thousand years in all parts of the 
world. They have died all around us — in our very places. 
We do not distinctly behold the hands, the feet, or the bones of 
them, because they have crumbled to dust beneath our feet. 
And cannot the ghosts of these as well arise as of those slain 
yesterday ? The affirmative cannot be denied. 

As we have said, Ortiz found himself snatched from one 
dreadful death, only, as he imagined, to be thrust into the jaws 
of another, yet more terrible. Experience, however, soon 
proved to him, that the dead, at least those with whom he was 
forced to dwell, either could or would not send forth their I 



CAPTIVITY OF JOHN ORTIZ. 



15 



spirits in any other shape than such phantoms as his own mind 
created, in dreams and reveries. We can accustom ourselves 
to almost anything, and it was not long before our captive 
contemplated the dead bodies with which he was surrounded, 
with about the same indifference as he did the walls of the 
temple that encompassed them. 

How long after Ortiz had been placed to guard the temple 
of sacrifices the following fearful midnight adventure hap- 
pened, we have no means of stating with certainty, nor is it 
very material ; it is, however, according to his own account, as 
follows : A young Indian had been killed and his body placed 
in this temple. Late one night, Ortiz found it closely invested 
by wolves, which, in spite of all his efforts, entered the place, 
and carried away the body of the Indian. The fright and the 
darkness were so heavy upon Ortiz that he knew not that the 
body was missing until morning. It appears, however, that he 
recovered himself, seized a heavy cudgel, which he had pre- 
pared at hand, and commenced a general attack upon the beasts 
in the temple, and not only drove them out, but pursued them 
a good way from the place. In the pursuit he came up with 
one which he gave a mortal blow, although he did not know it 
at the time. Having returned from this hazardous adventure 
to the temple, he impatiently awaited the return of daylight. 
When the day dawned, great was his distress at the discovery 
of the loss of the body of the dead Indian, which was especially 
aggravated, because it was the son of a great chief. 

When the news of this affair came to the ears of Ucita, he 
at once resolved to have Ortiz put to death ; but before execut- 
ing his purpose he sent out several Indians to pursue after the 
wolves, to recover, if possible, the sacrifice. Contrary to all 
expectation, the body was found, and not far from it the body of 
a huge wolf also. When Ucita learned these facts, he coun- 
termanded the order for his execution. 

Three long years was Ortiz doomed to watch this wretched 
temple of the . dead. At the end of this time he was relieved 
only by the overthrow of the power of Ucita. This was ef- 
fected by a war between the two rival chiefs, Ucita and Mo- 
coso. 

The country over which Mocoso reigned was only two days' 
journey from that of Ucita, and separated from it by a large 
river or estuary. Mocoso came upon the village of Ucita in 
the night with an army, and attacked his castle, and took 
it, and also the rest of his town. Ucita and his people fled 
from it with all speed, and the warriors of Mocoso burnt 
it to the ground. Ucita had another village upon the coast, 
not far from the former, to which he and his people fled, and 



16 



CAPTIVITY OF JOHN ORTIZ. 



were not pursued by their enemies. Soon after he had esta- 
blished himself in his new residence, he resolved upon making 
a sacrifice of Ortiz. Here again he was wonderfully preserved, 
by the same kind friend that had delivered him at the begin- 
ning of his captivity. The daughter of the chief, knowing 
her intreaties would avail nothing with her father, determined 
to aid him to make an escape ; accordingly, she had prepared 
the way for his reception with her father's enemy, Mocoso. 
She found means to pilot him secretly out of her father's vil- 
lage, and accompanied him a league or so on his way, and 
then left him with directions how to proceed to the residence 
of Mocoso. Having travelled all night as fast as he could, 
Ortiz found himself next morning upon the borders of the river 
which bounded the territories of the two rival chiefs. He was 
now thrown into great trouble, for he could not proceed farther 
without discovery, two of Mocoso's men being then fishing in 
the river f and, although he came as a friend, yet he had no 
way to make that known to them, not understanding their lan- 
guage, nor having means wherewith to discover his character 
by a sign. At length he observed their arms, which they had 
left at considerable distance from the place where they then 
were. Therefore, as his only chance of succeeding in his en- 
terprise, he crept slyly up and seized their arms to prevent 
their injuring him. When they saw this they fled with all 
speed towards their town. Ortiz followed them for some dis- 
tance,' trying by language as well as by signs to make them 
understand that he only wished protection with them, but all 
in vain, and he gave up the pursuit and waited quietly the 
result. It was not long before a large party came running 
armed towards him, and when they approached, he was obliged 
to cover himself behind trees to avoid their arrows. Never- 
theless his chance of being killed seemed certain, and that 
very speedily ; but it providentially happened, that there was 
an Indian among them who now surrounded him, who under- 
stood the language in which he spoke, and thus he was again 
rescued from another perilous situation. 

Having now surrendered himself into the hands of the In- 
dians, four of their number were dispatched to carry the tidings 
to Mocoso, and to learn his pleasure in regard to the disposition 
to be made of him ; but instead of sending any word of direc- 
tion, Mocoso went himself out to meet Ortiz. When he came 
to him, he expressed great joy at seeing him, and made every 
profession that he would treat him well. Ortiz, however, had 
seen enough of Indians to warn him against a too implicit 
confidence in his pretensions ; and what added in no small 
degree to his doubts about his future destiny, was this very 



CAPTIVITY OF JOHN ORTIZ. 



17 



extraordinary circumstance. Immediately after the preliminary 
congratulations were over, the chief made him take an oath, 
" after the manner of Christians," that he would not run away 
from him to seek out another master : to which he very readily 
assented. At the same time Mocoso, on his part, promised 
Ortiz that he would not only treat him with due kindness, but, 
that if ever an opportunity offered by which he could return to 
his own people, he would do all in his power to assist him in 
it ; and, to keep his word inviolate, he swore to what he had 
promised^ " after the manner of the Indians." Nevertheless, 
our captive looked upon all this in no other light than as a 
piece of cunning, resorted to by the chief, to make him only a 
contented slave ; but we shall see by the sequel, that this In- 
dian chief dealt not in European guile, and that he was actuated 
only by benevolence of heart. 

Three years more soon passed over the head of Ortiz, and 
he experienced nothing but kindness and liberty. He spent 
his time in wandering over the delightful savannahs of Florida, 
and through the mazes of the palmetto, and beneath the re- 
freshing shades of the wide-spreading magnolia — pursuing 
the deer in the twilight of morning, and the scaly fry in the 
silver lakes in the cool of the evening. In all this time we 
hear of nothing remarkable that happened to Ortiz, or to the 
chief or his people. "When war or famine does not disturb the 
quiet of Indians they enjoy themselves to the full extent of 
their natures — perfectly at leisure, and ready to devote days 
together to the entertainment of themselves, and any travel- 
lers or friends that may sojourn with them. 

About the close of the first three years of Ortiz's sojourning 
with the tribe of Indians under Mocoso, there came startling 
intelligence into their village, and alarm and anxiety sat im- 
patiently upon the brow of all the inhabitants. This was 
occasioned by the arrival of a runner, who gave information 
that as some of Mocoso's men were in their canoes a great way 
out at sea fishing, they had discovered ships of the white men 
approaching their coast. Mocoso, after communing with him- 
self a short time, went to Ortiz with the information, which, 
when he had imparted it to him. caused peculiar sensations in 
his breast, and a brief struggle with conflicting feelings ; for 
one cannot forget his country and kindred, nor can he forget 
his savior and protector. In short, Mocoso urged him to go to 
the coast and see if he could make a discovery of the ships. 
This proceeding on the part of the chief silenced the fears of 
Ortiz, and he set out upon the discovery ; but when he had 
spent several days of watchfulness and eager expectation, with- 
out seeing or gaining any other intelligence of ships, he was 



18 



CAPTIVITY OF JOHN ORTIZ. 



ready to accuse the chief of practising deception upon him, ti 
try his fidelity ; he was soon satisfied, however, that his sus- 
picions were without foundation, although no other information 
was ever gained of ships at that time. 

At length, when six years more had elapsed, news of a less 
doubtful character was brought to the village of Mocoso. It 
was, that some white people had actually landed upon their 
coast, and had possessed themselves of the village of Ucista, 
and driven out him and his men. Mocoso immediately im- 
parted this information to Ortiz, who, presuming it was an idle 
tale, as upon the former occasion, affected to care nothing for 
it, and told his chief that no wordly thing would induce him to 
leave his present master ; but Mocoso persisted, and among 
arguments advanced this, that he had done his duty, and that 
if Ortiz would not go out and seek his white brethren, and 
they should leave the country, and him behind, he could not 
blame him, and withar seriously confirming the news. In the 
end he concluded to go out once more, and after thanking his 
chief for his great kindness, set off, with twelve of his best 
men whom Mocoso had appointed for his guides, to find the 
white people. 

When they had proceeded a considerable part of the way, 
they came into a plain, and suddenly in sight of a party of 120 
men, who proved to be some of those of whom they had heard. 
When they discovered Ortiz and his men, they pressed towards 
them in warlike array, and although they made every signal 
of friendship in their power, yet these white men rushed upon 
them, barbarously wounding two of them, and the others saved 
themselves only by flight. Ortiz himself came near being 
killed. A horseman rushed upon him, knocked him down, 
and was prevented from dealing a deadly blow only by a 
timely ejaculation in Spanish which he made. It was in these 
words : " I am a Christian — do not kill me, nor these poor men 
who have given me my life." 

It was not until this moment that the soldiers discovered 
their mistake, of friends for enemies, for Ortiz was, in all ap- 
pearance, an Indian ; and now, with the aid of Ortiz, his attend- 
ing Indians were collected, and they were all carried to the 
camp of the white men, each riding behind a soldier upon his 
horse. 

Ortiz now found himself among an army of Spaniards, 
commanded by one Fernando De Soto, who had come into that 
country with a great armament of 600 men in 7 ships, in search 
of riches; an expedition .undertaken with great ostentation, 
raised by the expectation of what it was to afford, but it ended, 
as all such undertakings should, in disgrace and mortification. 



CAPTIVITY OF JOHN ORTIZ. 



^9 



Soto considered the acquisition of Ortiz of very great impor- 
tance, for although he could not direct him to any mountains 
of gold or silver, yet he was acquainted with the language of 
the Indians, and he kept him with him during his memorable 
expedition, to act in the capacity of interpreter. 

It was in the spring of 1543, that the ferocious and savage 
Soto fell a prey to his misguided ambition. Ortiz had died a 
few months before, and with him fell the already disappointed 
hopes of his leader. They had taken up winter quarters at a 
place called Autiamque, upon the Washita, or perhaps Red 
River, and it was here that difficulties began to thicken upon 
them. When in the spring they would march from thence, 
Soto was grieved, because he had lost so good an interpreter, 
and readily felt that difficulties were clustering around in a 
much more formidable array. Hitherto, when they were at a 
loss for a knowledge of the country, all they had to do was to 
lie in wait and seize upon some Indian, and Ortiz always could 
understand enough of the language to relieve them from all 
perplexity about their course ; but now they had no other 
interpreter but a young Indian of Cutifachiqui, who understood 
a little Spanish ; " yet it required sometimes a whole day for 
him to explain what Ortiz would have done in four words." 
At other times he was so entirely misunderstood, that after 
they had followed his direction through a tedious march of a 
whole day, they would find themselves obliged to return again 
to the same place." 

Such was the value of Ortiz in the expedition of Soto, as 
that miserable man conceived ; but had not Soto fallen in with 
him, how different would have been the fate of a multitude of 
men, Spaniards and Indians. Upon the whole, it is hard to 
say which was the predominant trait in the character of Soto 
and his followers, avarice or cruelty. 

At one time, because their guides had led them out of the 
way, Moscoso, the successor of Soto, caused them to be hanged 
upon a tree and there left. Another, in the early part of the 
expedition, was saved from the fangs of dogs, at the interfer- 
ence of Ortiz, because he was the only Indian through whom 
Ortiz could get information. It is as difficult to decide which 
was the more superstitious, the Indians or the self-styled 
" Christian Spaniards;" for when Soto died a chief came and 
offered two young Indians to be killed, that they might accom- 
pany and serve the white man to the world of spirits. An 
Indian guide being violently seized with some malady, fell 
senseless to the ground. To raise him, and drive away the 
devil which they supposed was in him, they read a passage 
over his body from the Bible, and he immediately recovered. 



20 



MRS. ROWLANDSON'S CAPTIVITY. 



Thus we have given all the particulars we can derive from 
authentic sources of the captivity and death of John Ortiz. 
Of Soto's expedition, about which many writers of talents and 
respectability have employed their pens, it was not our inten- 
tion particularly to speak, but can refer those, whose curiosity 
would lead them to pursue it, to a new edition of my Chroni- 
cles of the Indians, shortly to be published ; but for a rapid 
and splendid glance over that ground, I will refer the reader to 
the first volume of Mr. Bancroft's History of the United States. 
And yet if he would go into minute details, there is the work 
of jlr. John T. Irving, which will leave little else to be looked 
for. 



NARRATIVE 

OF THE CAPTIVITY OF MRS. MARY ROWLANDSON, WIFE OF 
THE REV. JOSEPH ROWLANDSON, WHO WAS TAKEN PRIS- 
ONER WHEN LANCASTER WAS DESTROYED, IN THE YEAR 
1676; WRITTEN BY HERSELF. 



I print this edition of Mrs. Rowland son's Narrative from the second 
Lancaster edition, with a selection of the notes to that edition, by Joseph 
Willard, Esq., which was printed in 1828. Mr. Willard calls his the 
sixth edition. My own notes are. as in other parts' of the work, signed 
Ed. - 

On the 10th of February, 1676, came the Indians with great 
numbers # upon Lancaster: their first coming was about sun- 
rising. Hearing the noise of some guns, we looked out ; seve- 
ral houses were burning, and the smoke ascending to heaven. 
There were five persons taken in one house ; the father and 
mother, and a sucking child they knocked on the head, the 
other two they took and carried away alive. There were two 
others, who, being out of their garrison upon occasion, were set 
upon, one was knocked on the head, the other escaped. An- 
other there was, who, running along, was shot and wounded, 
and fell down ; he begged of them his life, promising them 
money, as they told me, but they would not hearken to him, 
but knocked him on the head, stripped him naked, and 
split open his bowels. Another, seeing many of the Indians 

* Fifteen hundred was the number, according to the best authorities. 
They were the Warnponoags, led by King Philip, accompanied by the 
Narrhagansetts, his allies, and also by the Nipmucks and Nashaways, 
whom his artful eloquence had persuaded to join with him. 

H92 74 538 



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